^ 



Opening Ceremonies 



OF THE 





tilh%t m^mnmium, 




AT 



FRUSTCETON, N. J., 



JANUARY 13, 1870. 



PRINCETON : 

8TELLE & SMITE, PUBLISHERS AND BOOKSELLERS. 
' 1870. 



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04 



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' JWEXCHAflGE 



i^ 






THE GYMNASIUM, 



The ashes of the old gymnasium are now looked 
down upon by its proud offspring. The demand for a 
new one, as evinced in Commencement speeches, 
College magazines, and pale students, has at last 
found a response. Through the noble generosity of 
Messrs. Robert Bonner and H. G. Marquand, both of 
New York City, Princeton College now claims a gym- 
nasium unsurpassed on this continent — probably in the 
world. It is located near the Observatory, in beautiful 
contrast, and on a line with it and Dickinson Hall. If 
one of our excellent college buildings strikes the be- 
holder more than any other as being really handsome, 
it is the new Gymnasium. Built of grey stone, indented 
with arched windows, each wing of the edifice having 
an octagonal tower mounted with a spire, and the whole 
surmounted with a handsome slate roof, it speaks at 
once the honor of modern architecture, the pride of 
Princeton, and the noble generosity of its considerate 
founders. 



The inside dimensions of the body of the building 
are about fifty by eighty feet. The first floor is occu- 
pied with five bath-rooms, six bowling alleys, and the 
laboratory. The second comprises the gymnasium 
proper, which, with a complete apparatus, is overlooked 
by the visitors' gallery, running along the front of the 
building. One of the towers contains the visitors' 
entrance or main stairway to the different apartments, 
while the other provides the students' entrance, and 
two neat rooms, one of which is to be occupied by the 
instructor in gymnastics, and the other as the students' 
dressing room. 

The apparatus has been selected by experienced 
instructors in the art, and care has been taken to put 
up the best pieces only, so that all can be occupied at 
one time without interference or confusion. Chief 
among these are dumb bells, Indian clubs, parallel, 
horizontal, and rack bars, inclined and horizontal lad- 
ders, rowing and chest weights, double and single 
trapeze, double rings and traveling rings, peg and chest 
poles, springing ho2.xA,batoute board and climbing ropes. 

PROFESSOR GEORGE GOLDIE. 

A Scotchman at the head of the physical training, as 
well as the mental, will not the old question now take 
the new form, Kilts or gowns ? Prof. Goldie comes 
bearing a reputation as a gymnast and a teacher of his 
art, unsurpassed on the continent. His previous con- 
nection as an instructor has been principally with the 
Montreal Gymnastic and the New York Caledonian 
Clubs, the most prominent athletic associations in 
America. From both he has received numerous med- 



5 

als and prizes, as also, in the athletic amusements in 
the neig-hboring cities, for several years past. PVom 
his gentlemanly bearing, the unqualified recommenda- 
tions he brings as an efficient teacher, together with 
his own excellence as a gymnast, we are confident he 
is destined to be both popular and efficient in his in- 
struction here. The remarkable development of his 
own body should alone serve as a stimulus, in showing 
how much may be acquired by regular and judicious 
practice. 

His system of exercise is not so light as that of Dio 
Lewis, nor so heavy as that of Dr. Winship. It will be 
his aim to secure that particular development needed 
by each individual in order to combine harmony of 
body with that of mind. ''Mens sana in sano corpore^ 

OPENING DAY. 

The usual fall of rain introduced the day, nevertheless 
the arriving trains were crowded with students return- 
ing from vacation, many bringing their friends with 
themj. The following was observed as the 

PROGRAMME, 

At the opening of the College Gymnasium, January 13th, 1870, beginning at 1 1 
o'clock, A. M, 

IN THE CHURCH. 

An Address on the " Laws of Health," by Willard Parker, M.D., of New 
York. 

At 1.45 P. M., the procession was formed in the following order, and proceeded 
to the Gymnasium : 

1. The 7th Regiment Band. 

2. The President, with Messrs. Bonner and Marquand, Dr. Parker, Chancellor 
Green, Trustees and Faculty. 

3. Students, according to classes. 

4. Alumni. 

5. Citizens and strangers. 

At 2 o'clock P. M., the doors were opened. The procession occupying the 
Gymnasium proper, the ladies, the Gallery. 



AT THE GYMNASIUM. 

1. Prayer, by Rev. Charles Hodge, 

2. Address, by President McCosh. 

3. Music (Graffula) and Gymnastic Exercises by Prof. Goldie. 

4. Address in behalf of the Students, by Mr. D. R. Sessions, of S. Carolina. 

5. Address by Rev, Samuel B, Dod, 

6. Thanks to the Benefactors, by Chancellor Green, 

7. Music and Gymnastic Exercises, 

8. Address by Robert Bonner, Esq,, of New York. 

9. Address by H, G, Marquand, Esq,, New York. 
10. Music and Gymnastic Exercises. 

At the appointed hour the church was crowded, 
awaiting the arrival of Dr. Parker. He having been 
delayed, however, the audience were favored during 
the interval with additional selections from Genevieve, 
by the soul-stirring Grafulla. A short but agreeable 
delay, when the appearance of Dr. Parker, escorted by 
President McCosh and followed by Ex-President Mac- 
lean and other eminent gentlemen, was signified by 
loud applause. Charts for the illustration of the lecture 
having been conspicuously posted. President McCosh 
arose and introduced him In the following words: 

''I take pleasure in Introducing Dr. Parker, who opens 
our proceedings for the day by an appropriate lecture 
on the Laws of Health. We are under very great obli- 
gations to the Doctor for coming here and speaking to 
us on such a subject. We know that his remarks will 
be characterized by the highest science and practical 
usefulness." 

THE LECTURE. 

Dr. Parker introduced his lecture with the remark, 
his " object should be to say something useful," and 
that this was the only motive that brought him there. 
The science of living is to know how to eat, drink, etc., 
in order to make ourselves as effective agents as possi- 



,^ 



7 

ble, Intellectually, morally and physically. All God's 
universe is governed by Law, and so long as we act in 
harmony with these laws, we are successful in the main, 
we should be successful entirely. Man's physical 
nature Is included under these laws, and the arranging 
and grouping together of the laws respecting that nature 
constitutes the science of health. The object of educa- 
tion Is harmonious development, and no one part of our 
nature should be favored to the neglect of another. 

He denominated our physical frame a wonderful 
piece of machinery, receiving and throwing off every 
day, and In order to a healthy state the effete mat- 
ter must be kept out of the system. To this end 
there must be a wise selection of diet, with fresh air, 
exercise, etc. Food Is divided into three great classes, 
familiarly known as brain feeders, muscle feeders and 
house warmers ; and the particular demand of each 
individual varies as his occupation is a mental or phy- 
sical one, and as the zone of climate in which he lives. 

With regard to the disposition of effete matter he 
said, "As we are here full of birth, so we are here full 
of death. The dead matter Is carried off through the 
lungs, the skin, the kidneys and the bowels." 

He dwelt on the Importance of pure blood, and 
regretted that too little attention was paid to it, even 
in medical colleges. The food taken Into the system 
travels directly to the blood, and repairs the system 
throughout. "Let me say to you, especially my young 
friends, 'the child Is father of the man,' so the student 
in -college Is the after man, and he ought to be a man 
everywhere." In order to have pure blood there are 
certain rules to be observed In regard to the higesta 



8 

and egesta. The food must be selected with care and 
with reference to one's occupation.. 

It is a false idea that meat only will produce healthy 
development. Remember that you eat to live, not, live 
to eat. Therefore let your meals be regular, and eat 
moderately. We are called a nation of bolters be- 
cause of our haste in disposing of a meal. We ought 
to masticate our food well, and the brain should rest 
while we are eating. After a meal, the stomach should 
be allowed rest. One who is constantly nibbling, 
eating '' something here, and something there," will 
never make good blood. A sensation like to hun- 
ger is often produced by the vessels being full and } 
wanting to be relieved. In this case, the injection of 
a small ivory ball secured with a string will give relief 
as quick as any thing else. A small piece of a cracker, 
however, is advisable. The food should be plain and )i^l 
simple. Complicated pies and puddings should be re- 
jected, as also " appetizers," in the common understand- 
ing of that term. The only appetizer that will tell is 

EXERCISE. 

The effete matter is carried off and a healthy system > 

is brought about through four great channels. 

1. The Lungs. In respiration we take in the oxygen 
from the atmosphere, but throw off carbonic acid. This 
is effete matter taken from the blood. It is poisonous, 
hence close rooms are to be avoided. 

2. The Skin. A great deal of effete matter passes 
off through the skin in the form of insensible perspi- 
ration. He suggested that the body be well rubbed 
every evening, and bathed every morning, with cold wa- 
ter. Clothing should not be worn, in such quantity as 



to induce perspiration. Caution, also, should be ob- 
served in changing from one extreme of temperature 
to another. 

3. With regard to the bowels, he would simply say, 
they should be kept open. 

4. Of the kidneys, time would not then permit him 
to speak. 

Lio^ht, he reorarded as our best friend, and it should 
be permitted to come into our houses. Illustrations 
were then given, showing an increased mortality where 
light was withheld, and also the benefits derived from 
the sun bath.^ 

In relation to labor, of muscular exertion, he 
said a man might endure from ten to fifteen hours 
in every twenty-four ; but of brain work, from four 
to six hours, if he works thoroughly, is sufficient. 
He urged the necessity of observing regular hours in 
regard to sleep. The habit of turning night into day, 
invariably results in premature death. The bad effects 
of this, as well as the neglect to observe the seventh 
day, has been most decidedly noticed in connection 
with the animals drawing city conveyances. Phospho- 
rus is an important element in the brain, and seems to 
be thrown off in the secretion of the kidneys ; but if 
we stop and rest, that wastage is prevented and recu- 
peration takes place. 

He then proceeded : " I cannot close without ad- 
ding a word more. I beg to congratulate you that 
you have made this great step looking to the physical 
welfare of the young men that are here. I desire to 
be truly grateful that such a day has been initiated, at 
least that such a commencement has been made, and 



lO 

that gentlemen having the means, are looking in this 
direction. I can certainly commend to all persons their 
example in coming forward and erecting this institution. 
I am very glad to see the patronage of the Goddess 
Hygiena. The old Greeks and Romans were in the 
habit of worshiping at her shrine, and they brought 
forth the great models of manhood which have been the 

ideals of our artists — the models of the world. Now 

> 

can we not go to work with the spirit of these wise men, 
who, instead of holding on to their money, have placed 
it where Bonner and his friend will be at work when we 
are gone ? It is said that the man who makes two 
blades of grass grow where one had formerly grown, is 
a benefactor of mankind ; but the man who has learned 
from the high cultivation of the horse, how^ by physical 
culture, a man may be made more useful, and to this 
end enlarges the field of education, he is more than a 
benefactor, he is a conservator. 

Dr. Parker's lecture received profound attention 
throughout. 

Dr. McCosh then arose, and remarked that Ex- 
President Maclean would express the thanks of the 
assembly for the interesting lecture. 

Dr. Maclean said : 

"In expressing our cordial thanks to Dr. Parker, I 
would add that I do not believe there is an individual 
here but what feels that he has received instruction, 
and such instruction, that, if it had been given years 
ago, might have been of service to some of us who 
have grown gray. My own knowledge is such as to 
satisfy me of the excellence of the advice given, and I 
do hope the young gentlemen will bear in mind the 






II 

instruction given on this occasion. They cannot give 
too great heed to It ; and, though I do not place the 
physical on the same footing with the moral and 
mental, believing the heart to be first, the head next, 
and the body third, and if one must give away, the 
body ; yet there is no necessary collision. They can 
all be attended to. Our hearts and minds will be 
improved by attention to our physical system. But 1 
arose to express merely the thanks of the assembly." 

AFTERNOON PROCEEDINGS. 

The rush for the Gymnasium In the afternoon at one 
time threatened to interfere with the passage of the 
procession. Room, however, was found for all, the 
ladles having the exclusive privilege of the galleries. 

The exercises were opened by a short and fervent 
prayer of dedication by the Rev. Dr. Hodge of the 
Theological Seminary. 

President McCosh then made the following address : 

My statement is to be simply explanatory. The 
highest object of our meeting this day is to show our 
gratitude to our friends. The public have nobly ral 
lied round our college at this juncture. Parents and 
guardians have committed 330 fme youths to our care. 
Our entrance this year is 125, the largest in the history 
of the college. Friends have generously placed funds 
at our disposal to enable us to carry on our work. I 
shall not dwell on the sums contributed at an earlier 
date, such as the $60,000 expended by Gen. Halsted 
in erecting an Observatory, and the $70,000 subscribed 
to endow the office and furnish the house of the Presi- 
dent — these sums have all been publicly intimated 



12 

before. But you will allow me a few minutes to specify 
the gifts which we have received during the past year 
and a quarter. 

I must always feel a special pride in the first con- 
tribution to the College after my arrival in this coun- 
try. In my inaugural lecture I uttered a few sen- 
tences on the benefit and importance of physical 
culture, and this was met by a hearty cheer from the 
students. I ventured for the moment to become a 
prophet, and declared that that expression of feeling 
would bring with it a fulfilment. There was present a 
gentleman, at that time personally unknown to me, 
with a warm Irish heart burning in his bosom, which 
could not resist the appeal made, and, as he always 
executes what he intends, he at once intimated his 
willingness to give Jio.ooo, to assist in building a gym- 
nasium for strengthening the bodily frame and promot- 
ing the health of the students of this College. There 
was another gentleman present with a fine academic 
taste, cherished in the bustle of a business life, and 
with a heart equally capable of being moved by gene- 
rous impulses, and he engaged to give a like sum. It 
was a large sum to give for a gymnasium, ^20,000 ; but 
the gentlemen meant to do a handsome deed to the 
students, and without any one urging them they en- 
larged their gift, and have erected a structure which, 
with the ground on which it stands, has cost ^38,000. 
The edifice, which does such credit to the fine taste of 
the eminent architect, and the energy of the contractor 
is worthy of the price which has been paid for it ; and 
as you see it here to-day on its beautiful site, it is, 
externally and internally, the finest gymnasium in the 



United States — I believe it is the finest in the world. 

Moved by such an example, the friends of the College 
began to bestir themselves all over the country. Alumni 
Associations were formed in many of our important 
cities, and graduates showed how deep their affection 
was for their Alma Mater. Philadelphia has sent us 
$10,000 for important ends chosen by itself, and holds out 
the hope that this may be only the beginning of its contri- 
butions. Four gentlemen in New York have given us 
$4,000 to help to endow the chair of Modern Langua- 
ges, to which a number of gentlemen, scattered chiefly 
through New Jersey, have added $2,000. 

It is very pleasant to fmdthat thefamily of a late Profes- 
sor in this College have contributed $30,000 to endow a 
chair of Mathematics to be called after their father. 
There was never a ofift bestowed on this Collegre which 
has given such gratification to the Alumni. Prof Dod 
was about the most brilhant Professor among the many 
brilliant Professors which this College has had in its 
service. We do rejoice to fmd that a name so dear to 
the fathers of the risinof oreneration is to be handed 
down to their children. It has now been secured that 
when the young men come up year after year to this 
College, and are placed under the Dod Professor of 
Mathematics, and ask what mean ye by this designa- 
tion, they will be told that in the days of their fathers 
there lived one who imparted life to all who came in 
contact with him, who left his impress on all the young 
men w4io studied under him, so that all their lives they 
spoke of him with boundless enthusiasm. His family, 
out of love to him and love to the College, have pro- 
vided that his name shall live here forever, and that he 



14 

being dead shall yet speak unto us. There wexe 
giants in the College in those days. It was the time 
when Dr. James Alexander, Dr. Henry and Professor 
Dod were united in a constellation which we ever look 
up to as the brightest part in our sky. We feel our 
inferiority to them, but we look up to them with admi- 
ration, and encouraged by their success, we will strive 
to make our College as intellectually bright as it was 
in their time. 

A new kind of gift has begun to flow in upon us. 
A set of energetic young men constituting the Class of 
1859 has raised and paid ^2,000 to provide a Prize for 
eminence in English Composition and English Liter- 
ature. An eminent Judge, a citizen of our own, 
who has so beautified a place in this neighborhood, 
which he does not keep to himself, but allows the pub- 
lic to enjoy, has initiated a method of promoting higher 
learning in our institution, which will extend in this 
College and extend to other Colleges, till American 
colleges become as famous for their scholarship as any 
other colleges in the world. It was interesting to me 
to fmd that Judge Field in endowing our first new 
Fellowship chose as his department, not the practical 
"bread and butter" branches, which have a sufficient 
remuneration in the money they bring, but Classical 
Learning, whose higher reward is the refinement and 
culture which it produces and fosters. Catching the 
spirit abroad, the Class of i860 proposes to surpass the 
Class of 1859, and has published its intention to raise 
^10,000 for the endowment of another Fellowship. 

I have yet to refer to another munificent donation. We 
owe it quite as much to the dead as to the living. The 



living have bestowed it, but in memory of the departed. 
In this neighborhood there hved a mother who shunned 
pubhcity, who never courted fame, but whose' name 
notwithstanding will go down through all ages in con- 
nection with this College. That mother reared sons 
who are bent on showing that under God they owe to 
her the great eminence which they have reached, and 
the high and honorable character they have maintained. 
One of that lady's sons has by a judicious gift enabled 
us to keep open this past year our library every day 
for the good of our students, and has devoted a sum to 
enable us at the close of this year to reward and 
encourage the student who stands highest in mental 
philosophy. Another son has bestowed the largest 
gift which this College has ever received. In addition 
to $100,000 contributed two years ago, Mr. John C. 
Green has gifted to us another $50,000 a few weeks 
ago, making in all $150,000. You know what a part 
of it is devoted to, for you see it in the noble new 
Recitation Rooms rising up on our grounds, the finest, I 
believe, in America; and the rest of the money is allotted 
to the purchase of high class books and the permanent 
good of the College buildings and the College. The 
whole gift is to be called in memory of that mother, the 
Elizabeth Foundation. There will be other means and 
opportunities of showing our gratitude to some of these 
benefactors. There are other names that I should 
wish to mention, but I must forbear. Only I must yet 
refer to two gentlemen who have ever been ready to 
aid us by their active and disinterested exertions, with 
their purse and their wise counsel. No one but myself 
knows what Mr. H. M. Alexander and the Honorable 



i6 

John A. Stewart have done for our College during" the 
last year. I feel that without them we could not have 
done half of what has been done. 

But I must turn for a very brief space to the more 
special end of our meeting. We dedicate this building 
under God to the benefit of the students now present 
and the students of all future times, for the promotion 
of their health and physical culture. Certain regula- 
tions will be laid down in regard to the use of the 
building to prevent confusion and enable all to profit 
by the exercises. These have been founded on those 
which have stood the test of experience in Amherst 
and other Colleges, and they may be amended from 
time to time, We will require all the students, except 
those who may be excused by the Faculty at the re- 
quest of their parents, to exercise two half hours a week 
in this gymnasium at the lighter exercises ; and those 
who wish it will be asked and encouraged to take two 
other half hours at heavier work ; and students will be 
allowed to come here at other hours not being recita- 
tion or study hours. The whole will be under the 
management and control of Mr. Goldie, the experienced 
gymnast, who has been chosen as Superintendent. 
When we look at this edifice, I am sure we must all 
feel a pride in keeping up its beauty, and so we must 
part with all those customs derived, I suppose, through 
our British forefathers — from the Goths and Vandals — 
of cutting, and carving, and blackening what needs no 
such barbarous ornaments. We should all feel asham- 
ed of ourselves if our generous friends were to come 
down to us at Commencement, or any other time, and 
find this beautiful building defaced. 



17 

But our present duty is to show our appreciation of 
the ereat kindness we have received from Mr. Bonner 
and Mr. Marquand. All who know him, love Mr. 
Bonner for his noble and generous heart, ever going 
forth in deeds of kindness, many of which the world 
will never know. I have been led in my intercourse 
with him to cherish the deepest regard for Mr. Mar- 
quand, for his refinement of mind and cultivated literary 
tastes cherished in the midst of a busy mercantile life. 
His interest in this College arises from the circum- 
stance that he looks upon it as fitted to promote the 
intelligence and culture of the country. At our invita- 
tion these gentlemen have favored us with their pres- 
ence to-day ; and the students who cheered the very 
proposal to have a gymnasium will give forth a double 
cheer at its completion, and a triple cheer to the two 
liberal friends who have gratified their wishes to an 
extent which they never contemplated. 

ADDRESS ON BEHALF OF THE STUDENTS. 

Mr. D. R. Sessions, of South Carolina, delivered an 
Address on '' The Importance of Physical Development 
to Mental Culture," as follows : 

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : — I would 
endeavor to express, on the part of my fellow-students, 
the profound gratitude which we feel towards our 
benefactors, Messrs. Robert Bonner and Henry G. 
Marquand, for the gift of this most elegant and useful 
building. To-day we celebrate the erection of a mon- 
ument to their honor and glory which, instead of suffer- 
ing from the injuries of time, is destined — a thing of 
life — to grow and expand in beautiful proportions. Do 



i8 

not imagine that I refer to the material structure in 
which we are assembled, whatever its solidity and 
magnificence. No, the hand of an Epaphroditus may 
reduce it to ashes ; the pitiless ocean may draw near 
and sap its foundations ; the earth herself, as k, were, 
in very jealousy at the curious shapes and combinations 
into which the art of man has forced her elements, may 
open and swallow up the product of so much pains 
and toil. Do not misapprehend me : their monument 
is immaterial — a spiritual tree whose roots are buried 
in the hearts of the students and friends of Nassau 
Hall. The foliage of that tree now fresh and luxuriant 
can never wither or grow less while nourished by such 
immortal sap. Our college is a national institution and 
our friends are friends of the nation. From Maine to 
Texas, from New Jersey to California, a hearty welcome 
will always attend our noble benefactors while living: 
and when they shall have passed "that bourne whence 
no traveler returns," the memory of the deed which we 
this day commemorate, shall be cherished with feelings 
of the profoundest gratitude and love. 

The munificence of our friends in constructing this 
gymnasium for our benefit naturally suggests the 
thought, What is the importance of physical develop- 
ment to mental culture ? This person of ours, with 
all its diversified talents, mental and physical, is a unit. 
To fully understand the bond of this union is impossi- 
ble. The heaped up observations of ages, and the 
profoundest reasoning, alike have been wasted in 
attempts to solve the mysterious problem. Our know- 
ledge of self finds its limit in the vague, unsatisfactory 
words, "fearfully and wonderfully made." But we 



19 

have learned, and the appreciation of that lesson marks 
an important epoch in our college history — we have 
learned that body and mind are one, and must be de- 
veloped in their nature as such, and not hy /7'agments. 
Man must grow up harmoniously if he would rise to 
usefulness, and master the high destiny which his Cre- 
ator has promised him. Trunk, branch, and foliage, 
like the tree, must be simultaneously developed and 
expanded. 

Now there are two manifest laws of our constitution 
which we should not disregard. By observing them 
we find our happiness promoted, and our ideas of the 
Supi^eme Being elevated. First ; in proportion as the 
physical nature of man is healthily developed, he will 
derive important aids to the intellect and moral pow- 
ers. The best educators of the world have approved 
of this law, and its converse of equal importance. The 
Gymnasia at Athens became the temples of the Graces. 
Their halls, baths and porticos were crowded with the 
votaries of every art and science. Such scenes marked 
the Academy where Plato taught, and the Lyceum 
where Aristotle lectured. Then and there physical 
education began with life and constantly augmented 
its force. " Every festival was made enchanting with 
flowers and music : the barge as it was pushed on the 
lake in boyish sport was crowded with garlands : the 
oars moved to the sound of 'sweet recorders': and 
the patriotic mother sang inspiring lullabies as she 
rocked her infant to sleep on the broad shield of its 
father." 

But passing from the Greeks we find examples in 
modern times to illustrate the wholes'ome and genial 



20 

influence of physical development on the faculties of 
the mind. Who can estimate the influence that foot- 
ball at Rugby, regatta at Eaton, bowling at Harrow, 
and cricket at Westminster, combined with the vigorous 
sports at Oxford and Cambridge, have had in produc- 
ing the most elegant and able bodied scholars of the 
world ? 

But what has been the course of our American col- 
leges with respect to this most important branch of 
manly education. Unfortunately, the fact that the 
highest mental culture may be combined with greatest 
physical development, has been practically ignored. 
The wasted frames of our best students and professors 
tell their own tale. The most brilliant talent and un- 
tiring industry alike have too often shone for a while 
with sickly glare, and before the real work of life be- 
gan, have sunk into obscurity and uselessness. The 
want of the balancing and sustaining power of physical 
education has been long and severely felt among us. 
Is it not a fact, that our first honors for this reason are 
not ViVi{x^(^^n\}iy fatal prizes rather than blessings f 

What do you call a complete and generous educa- 
tion ? It can be nothing short of " that which fits a 
man to perform justly, skilfully and magnanimously, 
all the offices, both private and public, of peace and 
war." 

To educate is to develop : not to make one all Greek: 
another all mathematics : it is to unfold a ma^i indeed, 
all developed : a pupil is educated when he is made a 
hero in his own individuality: a soul fr nitful m grand 
results, and powerful in acts. The time has come in 
the progress of'society, especially in our own country. 



21 

wherever the storm of conflicting opinions and interests 
is constantly rife, when a thorough manly education is 
imperiously demanded. The question of pedants and 
bigots as to what you knon^ comes at present from afar. 
It dies away, and is lost in echo before it reaches the 
great battle field of life. The grand issue now forces 
itself upon us : " What can you do ? " It is on this 
issue, and on this pre-eminently, that we are to stand 
among our fellow-countrymen in honor, or fall dis- 
graced. 

Let us then not fail to appreciate this most valuable 
aid to the acquirement of a manly education. Out of 
the many and attractive modes of exercise here afford- 
ed, each of us can select whatever is most adapted to 
his strength, and congenial to his taste. Do not let 
the golden opportunity escape us. Let us look beyond 
the present. We are soon to become citizens of a 
great republic. Whatever our calling in life may be, 
it is indispensable to the highest success therein that 
every faculty of our nature be developed and brought 
into action. Let us not go out into the world stuffed 
with learning which we have neither the energy nor the 
streng to use. ''Let us be in the eye of every exercise." 
Let us be devout students in the great university of 
nature, where we may gather such materials as dogmat- 
ism and "dried preparations" never afford. We will not 
then be numbered with that unfortunate class whose 
"hand" hangs like dead bone within its withered skin — 
the feeble flickerings of whose mind are but "a gilded 
halo hovering around decay." 

Let us show our benefactors how much we appreciate 
this gift hy using it with a will diud di ptcrpoes. And let 



22 

US always hold In remembrance that " the grand object 
of schooling Is never obtained until all the price- 
less powers of our nature are fortified and quick- 
ened by the true, the beautiful, the good and the 
grand : until each faculty in Its own place and propor- 
tion Is thoroughly trained ; until our physical and men- 
tal energies are moulded Into a symmetrical whole, of 
the purest, holiest, and most enchanting harmony." 

ADDRESS BY REV. SAMUEL B. DOD. 

Rev. Samuel B. Dod being introduced, spoke as fol- 
lows : 

The alumni of Princeton have reason to take up the 
old song with which the Jew went up to worship at his 
holy city ; and In the name of this old College, I say 
" Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy 
gates." 

I feel that I owe a debt of gratitude to this College 
that now permits me, the child of a father once so well 
known here, to link his name with an Institution that 
shall stand as long as America exists. I owe a debt of 
gratitude, In that when his life went out in early man- 
hood it was not lost, but it Is now written with and 
intertwined with the Illustrious name of Nassau Hall. 
I feel that we owe thanks to the College, to the trus- 
tees of the College, fully as great as those which they 
owe to us. 

I was particularly glad to hear, In the speech of the 
President, that the alumni were exerting themselves to 
do something in behalf of the College. It is to the 
management of the Trustees we owe It that so many 
outside of our ahimni have been moved to exert them- 






selves in Its behalf, and have been so generous in their 
gifts. As we return and see its growth and prosperity 
we cannot but rejoice, no matter from what source the 
gifts may have come. But the alumni should be stir- 
ring themselves in behalf of their honored Alma Mater, 
Oh what a glorious history has Nassau Hall ! The 
names of those men whose bodies lie beneath the sod 
of yonder graveyard remind us, what a glorious past 
was hers ! These men now guiding the destinies of 
the College show us what a glorious present belongs 
to Nassau Hall ! And this body of young men shows 
us what is the glorious future of Nassau Hall ! 

In this old College, this seat of learning, not only the 
principles of nature but the higher principles of divine 
truth are steadfastly laid before your minds — not mere- 
ly the law which science could give you, but the law of 
God to follow you into the turbid waters of business, 
and into the cares and responsibilities of social life. 
What promise is there not for our country when we 
see so powerful a fountain ever enlarging the stream 
which it sends forth — to the ministry, to the bar, to the 
cabinet, to the halls of our legislative assemblies ? 

And now when everything is so favorable, when the 
College has such an impetus as it has, it is the duty first 
of all that the College Alumni should exert themselves 
more earnestly, and follow up the admirable system 
already begun. To you, young gentlemen, that are 
here to partake of these ample facilities for improve- 
ment, do we look to make the future of Nassau Hall 
even more glorious than her noble past ! 

CHANCELLOR GREEN's ADDRESS OF THANKS, 

At the request of your President, in the name of the 



24 

I 
alumni of the College of New Jersey, In behalf of its 
graduates, in behalf of the body of Trustees, we return \ 

thanks for this noble structure, for this generous favor- 
ing of our beloved Alma Mater. Pardon me for a 
short diversion. 

Fifty-two years ago I entered this College a boy of 
fourteen years of age. In the year 1820, fifty years 
ago, in impaired health I took my degree in this Col- 
lege. I had obtained an honor, but I had laid the 
foundation of a life-time of agony. I came here in 
perfect health. From that time to this I have not en- 
joyed one hour of perfect health. I have done my life's 
work under labor, in weary agony, merely because I ^ 

had no such instruction as this, and no such men to 
teach me wisdom. Let me say in all earnestness, 
young men, this is no play house. There is no profic- 
iency in College, in my judgment, that could not better \. 
be dispensed with than this. With all respect to the 
President and his associates, I value this institution 
as highly as any other, and it will be of as great benefit 
to you. You may think this strange. Why, in the 
gymnasiums of Greece and Rome, there letters were y 
taught ! There, too, they were developed as men. It 
was at the gymnasium Rome made men. It made 
scholars, it is true, but it made strong hearted men, 
bold to batde. 

Now gentlemen this is the benefit I want this gym- 
nasium to confer upon you. They say it cost foidy 
thousand dollars, a very large sum no doubt, but I ask 
this audience what it would have been worth if we 
could have added ten years to the Alexander's, and the 
Dod's ? It would have been worth twejtty gymnasiums, 



25 

if you could have added ten years to the Hves of our 
scholars. On the Rhine, twelve years ago, I met an 
old English scholar. He was eighty years of age, 
and with a body having all the elasticity of youth. I 
asked him about Lord Lindsley, then past seventy 
years of age. He replied : "A boy, I shall show you a 
letter written by him a few days before sailing." It 
was as beautifully written as any you ever saw. There 
were two English scholars in good health — ^mine was 
broken down. You may draw an inference from 
that simple fact. If you use this building right, like 
Miller did, like Sanders, like many others among us, 
you will aid dying men. 

ROBERT Bonner's address. 

At the conclusion of Chancellor Green's address. Dr. 
McCosh led forward Mr. Bonner, who was received 
with loud cheers. He spoke as follows: 

I expected to be called upon for a speech. In fact, 
I was notified that I should be ; and what is somewhat 
unusual with speech makers, if their own statements 
are to be credited, I have come fully prepared for the 
occasion. And the necessity which I have felt for this 
preparation, and the innumerable shortcomings which 
I have observed in public discourses, have suggested 
to me that there is no more useful lesson wiiich I could 
possibly impress upon the minds of the young gentle- 
men here than the importance of preparation. Your 
whole business in college, my young friends, is prepa- 
ration for the duties of life — preparation in body, pre- 
paration in mind. You are in training here, and if the 
training is neglected, you will feel the great disadvan- 



26 

tage of that neglect throughout the whole race of life. 
To those of you who are to be professional men, and 
whose duty in life will consist in great part in public 
speaking, I wish to urge most emphatically, most feel- 
ingly, the absolute necessity of preparation. Spare, 
oh spare, your future hearers, the tedium, the dullness, 
the weariness which results from the want of prepara- 
tion. Be prepared ; and then — provided always you 
have some natural stuff in you — you can speak briefly 
and to the point. This is the great desideratum in 
public speaking. The next thing to learn is^ — and all 
that I have to say on that point I compress into one 
line — leave off when you have done, as I do now. 

ADDRESS BY H. G. MARQUAXD. 

H. G. Marquand, Esq., being presented, was also 
warmly received. He sai*d: 

i\s I stand before you, I represent one who has neg- 
lected to follow such excellent advice as that given by 
Dr. Parker this morning. I have suffered very much 
from the want of just such a building as this, and the 
good advice of my superiors to take exercise. I have 
come from a mathematical atmosphere, and never made 
a speech in my life, and the thanks I would express 
swell up my throat and almost prevent utterance. But 
I cannot help referring to what my friend Mr. Stewart, 
and a good Stewai't he is, once said to me in a conver- 
sation about Princeton. It was this " What we most 
want in Princeton is a good gymnasium." We get 
such hints every day, and they are as often unheeded. 
But I once sent a puny, weak boy to a school in New 
England with many misgivings whether he would live. 



Vs 



27 

After two or three years he came home strong and 
hearty, and with his muscles well developed. From 
this circumstance the hint thrown out by my friend 
Stewart made a lodgment, though I did not so signify 
to him at that time. It worked in my mind for many 
weeks. Your President came to this country and 
kindled a spark ; and at the inauguration Mr. Bonner 
in his peculiar manner, " ten thousand, w4io will give 
another ten ?" waked me up. 

This is the history of my connection with this insti- 
tution. I am happy to see the building completed 
which promises to be so great a success and accomplish 
so much good. Its use is especially urged on all who 
would be our future ministers and orators ; but more 
particularly on those now around me, that you may 
have good sound bodies. 

As I told you, I came from a mathematical atmos- 
phere. This College does not stand debtor to a few 
greenbacks ! By the history of the Tennents, men 
wise and sound in theology, and who laid the founda- 
tion for all this superior education you have to do with, 
credit an indefmite sum ! By the work of Witherspoon 
which shall live after me and my children, credit an 
indefmite amount ! By the literary culture of such 
men as the Alexanders, the Greens, an indefmite 
amount ! The present honorable association with your 
institution, an indefinite amount ! Indeed, I fmd the 
page swelled to such proportions, that I close the 
account your debtor, and returning thanks, say Adieu! 



ANOTHER DONATION. 



Since the meeting at the opening of the Gymnasium, 
Jay Cooke, Esq., the distinguished banker of Philadel- 
phia, has generously devoted the interest of J 10,000 to 
a Mathematical Fellowship in the College of New 
Jersey. 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

■III Hill mil Hill Hill 



028 333 609 8 • 



iTELLE & SMITH. 



PUBLISHERS & BOOKSELLERS. 



LIST OF COLLE 



Carnilna Prineetoijia, ( 
Dr. MeCosh's luaugani 
Fhilosophia Ulrirun, by 
Obligations of Cl'i-istiai 

S. Field, LL J),, 
Clio Centennial, (papei 
Whiir CentenuiaL reud 





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